Superflexible, 3-D printed “bones” trigger new growth | Science News

A highly flexible 3-D printed scaffold used to repair broken or damaged bones.

“Hyperelastic bones” don’t impart Stretch Armstrong abilities, but they could give surgeons a quick, inexpensive way to repair bone breaks. Created by Ramille Shah, a materials science engineer at Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues, the new superflexible material can be 3-D printed into femurs, skullcaps and other bone shapes.

The durable material is a mix of an elastic polymer plus hydroxyapatite, a calcium mineral found in human bones and teeth.